Who does your child look up to?
Is it a teacher who really inspires her? Maybe he admires his mom or his dad, who have guided him through his life so far; or a sibling or grandparent who makes him proud. Whoever it is that your child looks up to, she knows that that person makes her want to be her best, and in “The Book of Heroines” by Stephanie Warren Drimmer and “The Book of Heroes” by Crispin Boyer, you’ll find even more inspiration.
What does your child think of when he hears the words “hero” or “heroine”?
He might think of someone in a cape and tights, able to walk on the side of buildings or beat up bad guys. Those are great comic-book examples, but real heroes and heroines are humans (and animals!) who do brave, smart, strong, or compassionate things.
Let’s say, for example, that your young reader is in need of a leader to follow. She might like Eleanor Roosevelt, who “changed the role of the first lady forever” through thoughtful deeds and actions, or Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, N.J., who saved lives and fought crime in his city, and beyond.
If sports are more his thing, he’ll find many inspirational stories. Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson both fought against racism in their respective sports (track and baseball). Surya Bonaly broke figure skating records with her feats on the ice, and “she did it on her own terms.”
Or maybe she’d like an exciting role model. Open a book and find Mavis Batey, who was a secret code-buster during World War II. Robert Gould Shaw led a charge of black Union soldiers during the Civil War. Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane were both gun-totin’ women of the West. Witold Pilecki was captured on purpose during World War II, so he could spy inside Nazi prisons.
A nice bonus, these books cross-reference one another, and are actually relatively gender-balanced, so give “The Book of Heroes” and “The Book of Heroines” to your 8- to 14-year-old. These are surely books to look up to.
“The Book of Heroes” by Crispin Boyer [175 pages, 2016, $14.99].
“The Book of Heroines” by Stephanie Warren Drimmer [175 pages, 2016, $14.99].
